If you’re looking for a way to never miss due dates again, here’s how –start on projects early. This is the best way and I share why in this article.
I’m pretty sure you’re here, on this article, because you want to find ways to stop missing due dates.
You probably handed in a few assignments late, got in trouble (and a bad grade), and now you want to be better.
That’s good. I wish I was more like you when I was a student.
I always waited until the last minute to start my work and this negatively affected me, but I never tried to change.
I never put much thought into fixing my bad habits.
Anyway, this isn’t about me. It’s about what you can do to improve.
Benefits of Starting on Projects Early and Working on Them Consistently
So, the best advice I can give you for avoiding handing things in late is to start on projects early and to consistently work on them.
Don’t procrastinate and put them off. Don’t let Parkinson’s Law get to you.
If you don’t know what procrastination is, it is, according to Merriam-Webster:
“to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.”
The benefits of not procrastinating and starting on things early are you’ll have more time to plan and work on it, more time to review it, and you won’t have to rush to finish it and be all stressed out.
How to Not Procrastinate and Start on Projects Early
For instance, let’s say you are assigned a research project that is due in one month.
The day you receive the assignment, you should start looking over it and start thinking about how you want to approach it.
Figure out what topic you want to research, what argument or stance you want to take, and what type of sources you want to provide.
In the next session, which should be within the same week, you should start doing some of your research.
Start looking for some potential articles, websites, and/or books that you can use for your project. It doesn’t have to be heavy research, but you should start browsing.
Then the next session, you should continue with the research. But this time, be more serious about it and read through the sources thoroughly to see if you can use them.
You should also start recording the information that you intend on using.
For example, if there is a quote you want to use or a study you want to refer to, copy and paste it into a word document.
Keep doing this for as many sessions as necessary. Once you have enough research sources, start outlining your project. This shouldn’t take too long to complete.
Then the next work session, start putting your project together. Break it up into smaller projects and just work on it bit by bit consistently.
Each day or work session, work on a section.
Before you know it, it’ll be completed way before the due date. This will also give you time to proof it and to make any necessary fixes.
And that’s pretty much the gist of how to avoid missing due dates by starting on projects early.
The Importance of Working on Projects Consistently
I want to emphasize, however, that the two most important things are to start and to work on it consistently.
Every day (or every other day), work on one part and just keep chopping down the tasks.
This is the only way that you will be able to finish it before the due date.
If you were to work on it every day for a couple of days, but leave the bulk of it until there’s a day left, then you won’t be able to put in your best effort because you’ll be strapped on time.
Thus, you have to spread out your work and tackle each section individually.
The best way to do this is to schedule out which work sessions will be dedicated to which parts.
This will allow you to know what part of the assignment you need to do on any given day.
Final Thoughts
Missing due dates is a horrible feeling.
But rushing at the last minute to hand in a bad project isn’t a good solution.
What you need to do is start on the project early so that you can finish it early.
So don’t procrastinate. Get an early start on assignments and work on them consistently.